The U.S. Supreme Court has overruled a 41-year-old precedent and held that the teachers’ unions and other public-employee labor organizations may not collect fees for collective bargaining from workers who decline to join the union.

The Supreme Court in a sweeping decision Wednesday upended the way public-sector unions do business, ruling that dissenting employees cannot be compelled to pay any dues, and that union members must affirmatively opt into membership — rather than requiring dissenters to opt out.

Background Articles

The Pennslyvania Senate Majority Policy Committee recently held a hearing on the recently decided U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to gather information about the decision’s impact on public employee unions and potential state legislative responses.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Janus v. AFSCME case this summer, there’s been much debate in Harrisburg about how Pennsylvania should adjust its laws in response. Some Democratic legislators have proposed bills that would tend to blunt the impact of the decision, while Republicans have favored efforts to strengthen it.

Sen. David G. Argall (R-29) chaired a Senate Majority Policy Committee hearing with experts on the recently decided U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v AFSCME at the state Capitol on Oct. 25 to learn more about the court decision’s impact on public employee unions and potential state legislative responses.